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Dreams Take Flight with THE BLUE ANGELS
Thursday, May 16, 2024 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
Presented by Greg Wooldridge, Executive Producer, The Blue Angels; and Lieutenant Commander Monica Borza
Moderated by Dr. Ralph K. Coppola, President & CEO, Aerospace Education Program Alliance
Sponsored by Prime Video, in association with AEPA
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The Blue Angels’ 2024 season is well off the ground and Greg Wooldridge, former Commanding Officer for the Blue Angels and Executive Producer of the brand-new documentary The Blue Angels, from Amazon MGM Studios and IMAX, along with former Blue Angel, LCDR Monica “Doc” Borza, joins Dr. Ralph K. Coppola, President and CEO of Aerospace Education Program Alliance (AEPA), on May 16th for a Dreams Take Flight with THE BLUE ANGELS edWebinar. The special conversation offers background on their experiences, including making the movie, and how they came to be involved with The Blue Angels. The speakers also offer details and tips to students (class participation is encouraged!) on how to take their STEM/STEAM interests to new heights as well as offer insights into the career opportunities in Aerospace.
Tune in for this inspiring and informative edWebinar. Viewers receive a free downloadable film discussion/career guide! Experience The Blue Angels in IMAX®, streaming globally on Prime Video beginning May 23rd.
Teachers are invited to view this recorded edWebinar with their students. Students must view with their teacher, and are not permitted to log in on their own.
About the Presenters
Greg Wooldridge is a veteran of 27 years in Naval Aviation. His experience is highlighted by his incredible flight time total of 8300 hours, more than anyone in the Navy when he hung up his flight suit. The high point of his career was leading the Navy’s famed Blue Angels to a record three times. His team was the only team to fly an airshow over Moscow. Following his second tour, he commanded the Navy’s premier Naval Air Station in Lemoore, California. While there, his leadership led to the base being awarded the President’s Installation of Excellence Award as the best base in the Navy. Delaying retirement, he answered a call to return to a struggling Blue Angels team for a third stint. He turned the team around, leading them to a highly acclaimed 50th Anniversary year.
Lieutenant Commander Monica Borza is a native of Virginia Beach, Virginia. She attended Virginia Tech and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She earned a Health Professionals Scholarship through the Navy to attend the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, where she earned her medical degree in 2016. After completing a transitional-year internship, she was accepted to the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute in Pensacola, Florida, and earned her Naval Flight Surgeon wings in 2018. Following her first tour in the fleet, Dr. Borza was hand-selected in August 2020 to be the Flight Surgeon for the Blue Angels, only the fourth female in their history to hold that position. Her decorations include a Meritorious Service Medal, one Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and various unit and personal awards. Currently, Dr. Borza is a Dermatology resident at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, California.
About the Moderator
Dr. Ralph Coppola is President & CEO of the Aerospace Education Program Alliance (AEPA). The AEPA represents the interests of aerospace education programs. The AEPA is bringing aerospace education programs together so they can better help youth pursue careers in aerospace. Dr. Coppola retired from PTC where he was Director and Founder of the Real World Design Challenge & Senior Director of Government & Strategic Education Programs. When he was Executive Director of the Space Day Foundation, he administered Space Day, a massive grassroots effort dedicated to the achievements, benefits, and opportunities in the exploration and use of space. As Chief Educator at The GLOBE Program, Dr. Coppola was on assignment to the Executive Office of the President of the United States while he was a faculty member at the College of William and Mary.
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The Blue Angels have been enthralling people, across the country and around the globe, for more than 75 years. Now, Amazon MGM Studios and IMAX bring a brand new documentary – The Blue Angels – that will take audiences soaring with the Navy’s elite Flight Demonstration Squadron as never before. Filmed for IMAX, the immersive footage puts you in the cockpit for a firsthand view of the Blue Angels’ precision flying, while the aerial shots deliver a spectacular showcase of the breathtaking maneuvers that have made them the world’s premier jet team.
The Blue Angels also takes audiences behind the scenes for a revealing, in-depth look at what it takes to become a Blue Angel—from the careful selection process to the challenging training regimen, and on through the demanding eight-month show season.
The film is a fitting tribute to the extraordinary teamwork, passion and pride of the hundreds of outstanding men and women of the Navy and Marine Corps who have had the honor to serve in the Blue Angels squadron…past, present and future.
